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FIOS and Windows Home Server

OK, I get conflicting information and maybe the community can help me?

I got FIOS yesterday. 25/25 as part of a residential bundle of phone, Internet and TV.

Now my Windows Home Server (WHS) stopped working. I have reconfigured the router and the WHS diagnostics confirm that the router is correctly configured, but that the WHS is still not accessible remotely. The suggestion was that any or all of ports 80, 443, or 4125 might be blocked.

I contacted the chat support and a person with a terrible attitude confirmed that those ports are blocked to prevent me from running a server on a residential service. His only recommendation was to upgrade to a business account. This is a LOT more money. Noteworthy is that there is no explicit mention in the T&C that any of those ports may be blocked, and I did successfully run my WHS under my previous ISP (Time Warner Cable).

However, another person I know that lives nearby also has WHS on a 20/20 service and he says his WHS is connecting just fine.

What does the collective wisdom of the community have to tell me regarding these ports, are they blocked, can I get them unblocked, or are there perchance any workarounds? I cannot reconfigure WHS to use different ports, as far as I know.

Thanks!

Comments

somegirl

While the Terms of Service may not explicitly mention Verizon blocking ports, it *does* explicitly mention that it is a violation of the TOS to run a server on your connection.

...

4. AUTHORIZED USER, ACCOUNT USE, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

...
3. Restrictions on Use.
The Service is a consumer grade service and is not designed for or intended to be used for any commercial purpose. You may not resell the Service, use it for high volume purposes, or engage in similar activities that constitute such use (commercial or non-commercial). If you subscribe to a Broadband Service, you may connect multiple computers/devices within a single home to your modem and/or router to access the Service, but only through a single Verizon-issued IP address. You also may not exceed the bandwidth usage limitations that Verizon may establish from time to time for the Service, or use the Service to host any type of server. Violation of this section may result in bandwidth restrictions on your Service or suspension or termination of your Service.

Just FYI.

CStenfors

So what this mean is tht nobody on FIOS can have Windows Home Server? That is sucky at the very best.

And while I concede that since WHS has the word "server" imbedded in it, I still don't think that that type of service was the intended recipient of the blockage. It is not commercial or for use by anyother than the residents in the home to access their files and data remotely.

spacedebris

Of the ports that you mentioned. Port 80 is blocked by Verizon in most areas and port 4125 will be blocked by the router firewall (this one you can open by using port forwarding in the router)

But both ports 80 and 25 are blocked by Verizon on residential accts.

There are ways around this but they do require advanced networking settings on your side and are prohibited by your TOS with Verizon if hosting a server at your location. If they allowed you to host servers on residential accts, very few would buy business accts. Hence the block. But if your not hosting a server, then you can get around the blocks, just takes configuration on your side. Verizon wont support it but you can either pay someone to come out and help set it up or there may be people here that can help you configure it.

sgip2000

I have no problems accessing my Windows Home Server on FIOS. Could be that your router is not actually configured correctly.

dslr595148

What is the brand and model of this router?

dslr595148

@CStenfors wrote:
It is not commercial or for use by anyother than the residents in the home to access their files and data remotely.

In that case, I would recommend using Hamachi.

This way:

#1 You do not need to forward ports in the router.

#2 No one can access your server without permission.

For people to connect to you:

#1 They must have Hamachi on their computers.

#2 You give to them, the name and password that you created in Hamachi.

#3 They must enter in the 5.x.x.x address into their client of what your computer is using.

See as need be,

a) the getting started guide

https://logmeinsupport.com/kblive/crm/selfservice/includes/usefullinkrenderer.jsp?DocId=7250&SecMode=1

b) and the user guide

https://logmeinsupport.com/kblive/crm/selfservice/includes/usefullinkrenderer.jsp?DocId=7254&SecMode=1

^^^

Arthurlw

Since others say they can use their home servers with FIOS — and I can't see how any responsible individual is going to consider the WHS a business use — then perhaps you just need to start over again by uninstalling the WHS, and if necessary blotting it from the router's memory. How this is done perhaps entails resetting the router using the reset button (with everything unplugged?), powering it down if necessary, and starting cold.

Since you used to have the server connected to a different configuration, for all we know your server configured itself to that ISP's way of doing business somehow. Maybe your server is used to one style of connecting online and that is somehow imprinted in its operating system config. I hope you don't have to do a clean install of your server's OS all over again, but keep it in mind as a last resort, ok?

Btw, granted, you might find the odd testy tech, but should this be construed as Verizon wishing to pull the carpet out from under you for wanting to download your camera's memory card onto your home system while you are on vacation?

As a matter of fact I got similar treatment when I wanted to know how to configure my Actiontec for FTP. I was told to go ask Actiontec. "We don't support that feature". Smiley Surprised

I called back and got someone decent who told me how to do it.

I'm sorry about your experience, but since I do not work for Verizon I will not apologize for the actions of the tech in question. Shucks, when I call and tell someone how badly I was treated by someone similar, the usual response is to apologize all over the place, and feel embarrassed.

Most of them are decent human beings, I promise.

CStenfors

Since several have asked, the make/model of the router is:

Westell UltraLine Series 3 Model A90-9100EM15-10

Software version: 1.02.00.04

The url to update it is blank, so I haven't yet figured out if the firmware needs upgrading or not.

CStenfors

@dslr595148 wrote:
#1 They must have Hamachi on their computers.
#2 You give to them, the name and password that you created in Hamachi.
#3 They must enter in the 5.x.x.x address into their client of what your computer is using.
Why would I want to go to all this trouble?

viafax999

@CStenfors wrote:
Since several have asked, the make/model of the router is:
Westell UltraLine Series 3 Model A90-9100EM15-10
Software version: 1.02.00.04
The url to update it is blank, so I haven't yet figured out if the firmware needs upgrading or not.

That is the latest software

viafax999

@CStenfors wrote:
OK, I get conflicting information and maybe the community can help me?
I got FIOS yesterday. 25/25 as part of a residential bundle of phone, Internet and TV.
Now my Windows Home Server (WHS) stopped working. I have reconfigured the router and the WHS diagnostics confirm that the router is correctly configured, but that the WHS is still not accessible remotely. The suggestion was that any or all of ports 80, 443, or 4125 might be blocked.
Thanks!

What did you actually set up in port forwarding?

prisaz

Something I have done in the past was to setup the router to listen on one port and forward to another. I think the Verizon routers have some issues with this. But you can setup your server to listen on a different port, and when your DNS provider gets a hit and references a host name, it automaticly goes to an alternate port so you do not need to reference a port in the URL in order to get around the port block.

viafax999

@CStenfors wrote:
Now my Windows Home Server (WHS) stopped working. I have reconfigured the router and the WHS diagnostics confirm that the router is correctly configured, but that the WHS is still not accessible remotely. The suggestion was that any or all of ports 80, 443, or 4125 might be blocked.

I just tested port forwarding on those ports by modifying my web server to listen on them.

None of them are blocked in my router as they all get thru to the web server with no issues. I'm using the same router as you so have to believe there is something wrong with your port forwarding.

Not sure I see how your WHS diagnostics can confirm that the router is correctly configured as surely it is on the wrong side of the router to know what you did on the wan side.

CStenfors

A number of people says this will work, despite two or three Vz people telling me it won't. There is also a post on dslreports.com that indicate that Vz may be selectively relaxing the rule/restriction.

On the off chance that it is my router configuration or WHS config that is at issue, here are some screenshots of the Port forwarding screen for my router, showing ports 4125, 80 and 443 being forwarded (I think).

http://i50.tinypic.com/14u87ba.jpg

Here is the WHS config screen:

http://i46.tinypic.com/vhu6hv.jpg

Here is the test from WHS

http://i49.tinypic.com/2hrgapf.jpg

And here is the error message that makes me think (and that Vz confirmed) that Vz port blocking might be the issue here

http://i48.tinypic.com/ru8my9.jpg

I appreciate all and any help on this issue.

Thanks!

viafax999

does your whs machine show up on My Network OK?

CStenfors

Yes,

http://i48.tinypic.com/immbt1.jpg

See the entry for "Cube?" That's my WHS.

viafax999

Yes, your port forwarding looks to be setup OK

Why not try setting up an ftp server on your whs server using an unusual port number (i.e. not 21). Go and get a copy of filezilla server and configure it with the port you chose and a few consecutive ports for the passive connection, set up a userid and password on the server and set it running. Forward the port range on the router to the whs server and then see if you can connect to that.

Possibly the router itself is defective and the port forwarding rules are doing nothing.

You could look in the security log under firewall settings if you are getting to the router it show up in there.

It's interesting that I just tried that on my machines and the log shows Blocked service on outbound traffic for the request even though it completed - actually I see what it means. I have a second router behind the westell and my machine is behind that 2nd router. The blocked traffic is traffic on the gateway port on the first router (The static address of the 2nd) router and it's not allowing that to go directly to the test machine but does allow it when it comes back in via the wan address

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